Simply enough, push is about to come to shove. Notre Dame is ready to put its 4-8 debacle of a year ago in the rearview mirror for good. Meanwhile, Temple would like to repeat most of 2016, even with a new coach at the helm after Matt Rhule went to clean up the mess at Baylor.

Perhaps as notably as the loss of Rhule, the Owls lost four-year starting quarterback Phillip Walker, the school’s all-time passing yards leader.

To get a better idea of how Temple has adjusted to new head coach Geoff Collins and the number of options to replace Walker, let’s turn to Matt Vender of OwlScoop.com, the pertinent rivals.com affiliate. This will be Vender’s fourth season covering Temple, and his institutional knowledge certainly shows in some of his in-depth responses here.

DF: Perhaps Matt Rhule’s departure should not have come as a surprise. That is what happens at Group of Five schools. Did that seeming inevitability of the coaching transition allow for a somewhat smooth offseason or has the turnover remained a prevalent concern?

MV: The transition was relatively smooth. Obviously, the team was disappointed when Matt Rhule met with them and announced he was leaving for Baylor. While people on the outside thought Rhule would jump ship, the players were still shocked for a short period of time. The loss of Rhule made them look like a different – and unorganized – team in the Military Bowl loss to Wake Forest.

But when Geoff Collins was hired, there was a feeling of familiarity even though the Owls’ first-year coach is from Atlanta and spent a large chunk of his coaching career in the South. Collins coached with Rhule in two different stints – Albright College and Western Carolina University. Collins also coached former Temple defensive backs coach Francis Brown, who followed Rhule to Baylor, as a player at Western Carolina. The Collins transition was fairly smooth because he had Rhule and Brown to lean on.

Obviously you have not yet seen a Geoff Collins-coached team take the field, but what have your impressions of him been so far?

When talking to reporters, Collins likes to be secretive, as is the case with many college football coaches. Florida coach Jim McElwain – Collins’ close friend and mentor – has yet to name a starting quarterback, and Collins has taken the same approach as his former boss. (Quite literally as Vender offered this answer, McElwain named sophomore Feleipe Franks the starting quarterback for this week’s matchup with Michigan, rather than Notre Dame graduate transfer Malik Zaire.) Collins has also held back on releasing a traditional depth chart. Instead, Temple put out a list of players who are “above the line” at the beginning of the week. The “above the line” phrase has been used by Collins ad nauseam since the start of spring practice, but it signifies the players who are ready to play in game action.

Like Rhule, Collins is energetic and runs fast-paced practices. The practices have been interesting to watch because often 44 players – and sometimes up to 88 – can be on the field at once. During practice, Collins jumps around and coaches different position groups, including the fullbacks. He has provided the program with a burst of energy and a new flavor, while also continuing a lot of the traditions Rhule started.

Related to that, Temple has a few new coordinators now, just like Notre Dame does. There has been a touch of defensive reshuffling to adjust to Mike Elko around here. Is the Temple personnel expected to match with the new coordinators’ intentions?

On offense, I have confidence in Dave Patenaude, the newly minted offensive coordinator who has yet to coach at the FBS level. While at Coastal Carolina, Patenaude played seven different quarterbacks last season and still went 10-2. The quarterback situation at Temple is uncertain but judging from Patenaude’s past success, he should be able to get production from at least one of the quarterbacks on the roster.

And while Temple only returns four starters on defense, there is still a wealth of young talent. Defensive coordinator Taver Johnson has a deep defensive line group, young and speedy linebackers, two solid boundary cornerbacks in redshirt senior Artrel Foster and graduate transfer Mike Jones, and what Collins has called one of the best safety duos in the country. While the Owls’ youth on defense could show at times this season, Collins and Johnson should be able to get this unit to produce. The Owls ranked third in total defense last season.

Patenaude certainly has his work cut out for him after the Owls lost Walker. Is Patenaude really going to attempt to overcome that by using three quarterbacks this weekend?

Could three quarterbacks see at least one snap on Saturday? Sure. But I’d expect redshirt junior Frank Nutile to start the game. Redshirt sophomore Logan Marchi will probably be given a series in the first half. If Marchi moves the ball and Nutile struggles, there could be a quick swap. The Owls also have “specialized packages” for true freshman Todd Centeio, who has shown impressive flashes in preseason camp. This is not a smokescreen. There has not been enough separation at quarterback.

The quarterback quandary is the obvious question on offense. What are the big questions on defense for Temple?

The big question coming into spring practice was the linebackers. The Owls lost three starting linebackers to graduation. The group of linebackers are young but the speed has stood out during practice. Sophomore Shaun Bradley is the expected starter at middle linebacker, while sophomore Sam Franklin and redshirt freshman Isaiah Graham-Mobley will likely accompany Bradley in the starting lineup. For all three guys, it will be their first college starts. And for Graham-Mobley, it will be his first college game action. Despite the talent and speed at the position, the lack of experience is a concern, especially heading into a hectic environment like Notre Dame.

Temple will also replace edge rushers Haason Reddick, the No. 13 overall pick in April’s NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals, and Praise Martin-Oguike, who is competing in training camp for a roster spot with the Miami Dolphins. Two senior defensive ends in Sharif Finch, who has dealt with chronic knee issues and received a medical redshirt last season, and Jacob Martin are returning and project to start against Notre Dame. The Owls will also utilize redshirt freshman Quincy Roche and redshirt sophomores Dana Levine and DeAndre Kelly.

Due to a lack of experience, linebacker and defensive end are the two biggest questions heading into the season. I still expect them to pressure the quarterback, and I also expect the linebackers to grow up quickly.

This is not a rebuilding job for the Owls new coaching staff. Rhule, and Steve Addazio and Al Golden before him, had an established program. What are the season expectations around the football facilities?

From talking to players and people inside of Temple’s Edberg-Olson Hall, they believe that beating Notre Dame is attainable. Redshirt sophomore defensive back Kareem Ali told reporters earlier this week they plan to “beat [Notre Dame’s] #$%.” Bradley said that the Owls are going to South Bend to blow out Notre Dame. The expectation amongst the players is to beat Notre Dame. They made that clear throughout the week. The other expectation is to win another conference title, as they did last season. And of course, Temple expects to win a bowl game for the first time since 2011.

What are your expectations for the first season of the Geoff Collins era?

While I like the talent and depth on this team, I think No. 19 South Florida will be too much for Temple to handle. The Bulls are my pick to win the American Athletic Conference’s East Division and conference championship. But the expectations for Collins, even in his first year, should be high. Rhule left Collins with a talented roster. I expect Temple to win seven or eight games, finish second in the AAC East and play in a bowl game.

Before getting to any Saturday-specific predictions, let’s use a catch-all here. What other notes should Notre Dame fans be aware of or particular players should they be on the lookout for this weekend?

I mentioned Centeio briefly earlier, but he’s expected to see some action on Saturday. Collins has talked about “special packages” the Owls have put together for a certain quarterback, although he has not named that player. Centeio will likely come in and spell the starter (hypothetically Nutile) to run some run-pass-option plays. The Dwyer (Fla.) High School product could be a difference maker if he turns loose for a long run.

Senior Sean Randall (No. 3) is one half of a talented safety combination along with junior Delvon Randall. (Getty Images)

Temple’s safety duo, featuring junior Delvon Randall and senior Sean Chandler, is probably the best in the AAC. Collins has said Randall and Chandler might form one of the top safety combos in the country. While there is some inexperience on the defensive side of the ball, the safety spot is one of the strengths of the team.

Sophomore receiver Isaiah Wright could be asked to do some interesting things. The Connecticut native was used as a running back, receiver and Wildcat quarterback last season as a true freshman. He could see action at all three positions Saturday.

The receiving corps as a whole, led by redshirt junior Ventell Bryant and seniors Adonis Jennings and Keith Kirkwood, is strong. Regardless of who starts at quarterback, he will have a wealth of weapons to target.

How do you expect Saturday to play out? Readers here know I like to use spreads as an evaluation metric. This game opened with Notre Dame as “only” an 11-point favorite. That has now spiked as high as 18 points. Would you expect a closer game throughout than that?

I envision Notre Dame putting up a lot of points, despite the fact that I like the talent on this Temple defense. A few mistakes by the young linebacker group could severely hurt the Owls. I am unsure of how Temple will be able to pressure Irish junior quarterback Brandon Wimbush, especially against the left side of the Notre Dame offensive line. Ultimately, Notre Dame’s athleticism will be too much for Temple to handle.

This is not to diminish the losses of receiver Miles Boykin and consensus first-team All-American cornerback Julian Love. Notre Dame will miss both of them, Love in particular. But looking at the Irish depth chart, there are avenues to survival without both.

Notre Dame will return two starting receivers in rising senior Chase Claypool and fifth-year-to-be Chris Finke (speaking of which, see below). A number of options exist to replace Love, though obviously none will match his shutdown abilities. Either rising sophomore TaRiq Bracy will put on the necessary muscle to compete with receivers at this level or rising senior Donte Vaughn will return reinvigorated with health after recent surgery to repair a torn labrum surgery or rising sophomore Houston Griffith will move from safety to get his talent on the field or fifth-year Shaun Crawford will recover from an ACL tear quicker than expected or … or … or … If one of those pans out, the Irish defense should be comfortable in its coverage, buoyed by the stalwart safety combination of Alohi Gilman and Jalen Elliott. (Imagine sincerely saying “stalwart safety combination” just six months ago.)

Look again at the depth chart, and such luxuries do not exist at defensive end. If rising seniors Khalid Kareem and Julian Okwara had not opted to return, Notre Dame’s 2019 dreams would have hit a lowered ceiling nine months before the season began. By no means were they certain high-round draft picks, but the allure of athletic and talented defensive ends may have easily led to some outsized draft hopes.

Their backups are certainly more than capable — rising seniors Daelin Hayes and Ade Ogundeji — but a talented second-unit is as important at defensive end as dangerous starters are. To replace the latter with the former is to diminish the entire enterprise outright.

The Irish could not have recovered from losing both Kareem and Okwara, at least not to the extent where Playoff talk would be viable again. Lose one and it would have still been dubious, at best.

Take a look at the teams expected to be in the mix for the Playoff. Using current championship odds … Clemson at 2-to-1, Alabama at just less than 3-to-1, Georgia at 6-to-1, Ohio State at 8-to-1, Michigan at 16-to-1 and then Oklahoma also at 16-to-1. Those first five have been known for their defenses more than anything else in recent years. Bookmakers put some faith in their ability to reload on the fly.

Notre Dame has not earned that trust, and its roster does not indicate it should have. As well as Justin Ademilola performed as a freshman in four games, inserting him into a pivotal role in 2019 would likely be a recipe for a mediocre season. He is another year of development away from being ready for that role, barring a Matt Balis-induced excellent offseason.

The Irish will need Kareem and Okwara to survive the losses of defensive tackles Jerry Tillery and Jonathan Bonner, but if they play as they did in 2018, that is a reasonable ask. If they continue to develop, it becomes a probability more than a Notre Dame leap of faith.

The Irish will miss Boykin’s back-shoulder reliability and everything about Love, but Brian Kelly and his coaching staff coaxed back the two most-pivotal pieces from NFL draft consideration.

Speaking of Finke, he confirmed his intent to return for his final year of eligibility Thursday evening. And he did it in a way only befitting a man comfortable in his own skin.

With the Wednesday announcement of current junior linebacker D.J. Morgan’s intention to transfer this summer as a graduate with two years of eligibility remaining, Notre Dame’s roster drops to 87 scholarship players expected this coming fall. Included among them, at least 12, possibly 14 linebackers. Before explaining that …

Morgan finishes his Irish career with two tackles in two 2017 appearances as a safety. He moved to linebacker during 2018’s spring practices, but never came particularly close to playing time. It remained difficult to see him cracking into the rotation moving forward given the quality of recruiting classes at the position in the last two cycles.

“I would like to thank the University of Notre Dame for everything they have done for me,” Morgan wrote on Twitter. “When I decided to come here, my main goal was to get my degree from this prestigious University, and I am proud to see that I will be completing that goal this summer!

“During this time I will be searching for a new school to attend as a graduate transfer to finish off my last 2 years of eligibility.”

(@deundraymorgan)

Before facing Louisville on Labor Day, the Irish will need to be down to 85 scholarship players. At 87 now, that does not include incoming freshman J.D. Bertrand, who had a recruitment handled in a deliberate fashion so as to make him eligible for an academic scholarship. Notre Dame also continues to chase two defenders — consensus four-star linebacker Asa Turner and consensus four-star defensive end Isaiah Foskey — who could balloon the roster count further.

Lacey will need to be ready for at least four games next season, especially with three of these six returning from injury: Tagovailoa-Amosa with a broken foot, though he did at least take some snaps against Clemson; Franklin from a torn quad that will limit him through the spring; and Spears from a torn ACL that could conceivably cost him 2019.

Former Notre Dame quarterback Brandon Wimbush will continue his career at Central Florida. Wimbush announced his graduate transfer destination Tuesday morning.

“The journey continues on …,” Wimbush wrote on Instagram. “A sincere thank you to Notre Dame for giving me endless opportunities on and off the field. Words truly can not (sic) describe what this incredible University and the PEOPLE mean to me and always will mean to me. I’m truly thankful. Cannot say it enough.

“With that being said, I am excited to announce that UCF has granted me an awesome opportunity to play my last year of collegiate football for their great University.”

Wimbush will enter into a starting opportunity, although an unfortunate one and a competitive one. The late November horrendous knee injury to three-year starter McKenzie Milton will almost-assuredly sideline him through the 2019 season. If not for the injury, Milton would either be starting 2019 for the Knights or headed to the NFL.

In his first year of any action, sophomore Darriel Mack played in 10 games for Central Florida, completing 51 of his 100 pass attempts for 619 yards and three touchdowns, including going 35-of-71 for 526 yards and three scores in the two-plus games Milton missed.

Wimbush finishes his Irish career with a 13-3 record as a starter, including four wins during 2018’s unbeaten regular season. After the Notre Dame offense failed to break 24 points in the first three games of the season, offensive coordinator Chip Long turned to Ian Book for a spark, one Book provided and then some.

Wimbush’s role became non-existent after that, aside from a Senior Day start in place of an injured Book, throwing for 130 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 68 yards.

Mustipher and Co. will now have reason to keep an eye on the Knights in 2019. After going 25-1 in the last two seasons, Central Florida will want to keep the momentum rolling, particularly with Stanford arriving in Orlando on Sept. 14, a week before the Knights head to Pittsburgh. The Knights genuinely entering the College Football Playoff conversation remains unlikely, but topping those two before rolling through the American Athletic Conference would at least start the discussion, especially if a former Irish quarterback headlines the way.

Named 2018’s Next Man In, Wimbush finishes his Irish career with 2,606 yards on 193-of-382 passing with 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions along with 1,155 rushing yards and 16 additional touchdowns.

AS FOR NOTRE DAME’S QB IN 2019 …Early Heisman odds came from an online sportsbook Tuesday, betonline.ag. Irish rising senior Ian Book was given 16-to-1 odds, tied for ninth on the listing. Given the names ahead of him, Book’s realistic chances of winning the Heisman Trophy are slim. Only Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa have odds lower than 12-to-1, at 7-to-2 and 4-to-1, respectively.

Then come two Notre Dame opponents — Georgia running back D’Andre Swift and quarterback Jake Fromm, both at 12-to-1. Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson checks in at 25-to-1, just ahead of Stanford quarterback K.J. Costello at 33-to-1.

If nothing else, Book can count on some early-season hype if the Irish top Swift and Fromm on Sept. 21.

Dabo Swinney paid tribute to the late Tyler Trent in his speech while Clemson visited the White House 🙏

A sign of a strong program is one that loses players to the NFL before they exhaust eligibility. In that vein, Notre Dame lost a consensus first-team All-American cornerback, its leading receiver and a long-time tease of a tight end. The last of those (Alizé Mack) was never expected back for a fifth season; replacing Miles Boykin’s production is certainly within reason; and a consensus first-team All-American should be expected to take the route junior Julian Love has.

Even with that expectation, losing Love — and to a lesser extent, Boykin — alters the natural roster cycle, the inherent design intended during recruiting. Reloading is always the hope, the next intention, but very rarely is the young backup comparable to the near professional, even by the end of the coming season.

Nonetheless, the Irish got off easy this cycle compared to four of their 2019 opponents …

GEORGIA: Junior running back Elijah Holyfield, the Bulldogs’ second-leading rusher, departs after gaining 1,018 rushing yards with seven touchdowns on 6.4 yards per carry this season. Frankly, that is the least of Georgia’s losses. Three of quarterback Jake Fromm’s four favorite targets will leave eligibility on the figurative table:

Without running back Karan Higdon, Michigan will presumably rely on its passing game more in 2019, quarterback Shea Patterson’s second season as a Wolverine. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

MICHIGAN: The Wolverines got good news when quarterback Shea Patterson opted to return for 2019, but losing leading-rusher Karan Higdon (1,178 yards, 10 touchdowns, 5.3 average) will be an issue head coach Jim Harbaugh undoubtedly hoped to avoid. Junior tight end Zach Gentry, Patterson’s third-most prolific target with 32 catches for 514 yards and two scores, will also head to the next level.

On the flip side, Harbaugh could have hoped linebacker Devin Bush (team-leading 80 tackles with 9.5 for loss including five sacks), defensive end Rashan Gary (44 tackles with seven for loss including 3.5 sacks) or linebacker David Long (17 tackles with one interception) might return, but no such luck for Michigan.

Duke junior quarterback Daniel Jones will head to the NFL after his third season as a starter, immediately lowering the Blue Devils’ 2019 expectations. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

DUKE: Junior linebacker Joe Giles-Harris paced the Blue Devils with 81 tackles, including seven for loss with one sack, doing so in only nine games. But losing Giles-Harris is hardly the concern for Duke. The decision to turn pro from quarterback Daniel Jones is.

In his third year as a starter, the junior fought through a broken collarbone to still play in 11 games in 2018, completing 60.5 percent of his passes for 2,674 yards and 22 touchdowns with nine interceptions. He added 319 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

Jones’ decision may come as a surprise, but it is one that should work out well for both him and Notre Dame. Some mock drafts project him as a top-10 pick. In a draft light on quarterbacks — partly because Oregon’s Justin Herbert returned for another season, yet already somewhat counteracted by the Monday draft entry from Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray — Jones could end up being the third or fourth passer picked.

BOSTON COLLEGE: The Eagles will say farewell to junior cornerback Hemp Cheevers after he notched seven interceptions this season, returning one for a touchdown, to go along with 39 tackles.

STANFORD: This will seem like the Cardinal lost a lot to the NFL draft, but it could have been worse: As the departures mounted, so did speculation junior quarterback K.J. Costello might follow them. He opted not to.

Stanford will be without running back Bryce Love after his prodigious two seasons as the starter. Consider that a loss akin to the Irish Love, the inevitable price of enjoying the success in the first place.

Junior receiver J.J. Arcega-Whiteside will capitalize on his breakout season of 1,059 yards and 14 touchdowns, depriving Costello of his favorite jump-ball threat.

Junior tight end Kaden Smith will also head to the next level, in large part thanks to his 47 catches for 635 yards and two touchdowns this past season.

Louisville, New Mexico, Virginia, Bowling Green, USC, Virginia Tech and Navy all did not lose anyone early or pseudo-early to the NFL draft.